The Skinny: That Thing Is Worth How Much?

Betty Grable was famous for being The Girl With the Million Dollar Legs (20th Century Fox bought the insurance policy from Lloyds of London). The hosiery industry advertised that Grable's legs had the perfect proportions ( 18.5" thigh, 12" calf, 7.5" ankle). In fact, it was an attempt to show off Betty's best features that gave us one of the most iconic pinup photos of all time, and certainly the most popular pinup image of the WWII era. The image, shot by photographer Frank Powolny, was owned by as many as one in five American soldiers during the war. One of those doughboys was Hugh Hefner, who later stated that it was that particular Betty Grable image that inspired him to create Playboy. LIFE magazine included the image on their 100 Photos That Changed the World list. By today's standards, Grable's legs would be worth over 14 million dollars.

The infamous Ms. Grable

So, that got me thinking. What are other famous body parts worth? It turns out that Hollywood has a history of high-dollar anatomy.

1. Jimmy Durante: His nose was his trademark, and he had it insured for $50,000 in the 1940s. Adjusted for inflation, that's a $442,000 nose.

Ha chachacha

2. Bette Davis: Her eyes? Nope. She had her waist insured in the 1930s for $28,000--roughly $357,000 of anti-doughnut protection in today's money.

Bette Davis

3. Ben Turpin: A cross-eyed comic actor of the silent film era, he insured his eyes (again, with Lloyds of London), payable if they ever became uncrossed. Stories vary as to the amount, but most stick to it being a $25,000 policy ($500,000 peepers by today's standards).

Keep 'em crossed!

4. Marlene Dietrich: Insured her trademark husky voice for $1million. (She also demanded that a half ounce of gold dust be sprinkled on her hair during filming, to make it look shiny on the big screen. It's not an insurance policy, but it still makes for some expensive hair.)

Ms. Dietrich

5. Fred Astaire: Legs, of course--but only $75K each. Not so good as Betty's, but I suppose they didn't look nearly as nice in pantyhose....

Fred's $150K

6. Angie Dickinson: Universal bought a $1million policy for her legs (you guess it--Lloyds of London strikes again!), which she displayed beautifully in Rio Bravo. No wonder Sinatra kept coming back....

Courtesy of drmacro.com

*Information obtained from: imdb.com, gawno.com, time.com, iconicphotos.wordpress.com

On the Radar -- So Not Your Granny's Wreath

From Pinterest.

Ok, so I know that the word "wreath" probably makes you think two things:  "Is it Christmas?" and "How boring! Wreaths are sooooo outdated!"  And that's how I've felt for the past few years.  But not now!  Wreaths have made a comeback, and I am sooooo excited!

I really used to LOVE making wreaths.  I made them all the time, whether for Christmas or (insert holiday here) or just for fun.  Then, for some reason, I got a crazy thought in my head that they were too old-fashioned.  Outdated.  Boring.  But last Christmas, I made a few.  Just for kicks.  And now, in the past week, I have found myself longing to go to Hobby Lobby and scout for supplies to make one.  Don't I need to make a new fab Valentine's wreath?  How about one with blackbirds, in honor of the Blackbird girls? 

While I barely contain my growing NEED to make one, check out the plethora of super creative and beautiful wreaths I found, on Etsy and Pinterest.  From simple to super complex, these wreaths are definitely not boring...

Made from paper cups, from here.

Made from plastic spoons, from here.

Made from maps, from weird little world on Etsy, here.

Made from old silverplate, from here.

Living succulent wreath from SucculentDESIGNS on Etsy, here.

Yarn and Ball wreath, from sian on Etsy, here.

Cinnamon stick wreath, from Pinterest...not sure who to credit!

Junk Love Monday: The Great Outdoors

Every so often, we all need to get away from it all. Sometimes, all it takes is two or three straight days on the sofa to re-charge and find inspiration. Today, I've been reminiscing about one of the slightly less-famous Rock Hudson movies, Man's Favorite Sport? (a non-Doris Day love story), which features one of our favorite fantasy worlds: the kitschy Mid-Century campground. I hate camping in real life, but I love to live vicariously through this movie (let's load up the 1950s station wagon, strap on a canoe, and go roast some hot dogs!). It doesn't get better than vintage Abercrombie & Fitch camping gear and Rock Hudson. In addition to the hilarious romance, and Paula Prentiss's wet t-shirt contest moment, there is some really great outdoors-y stuff in that movie. If you haven't seen the movie, you should. Until then, here is a great selection of vintage gear to drool over:

Rock Hudson likes to be prepared....

sold on etsy

oldtimeygear.wordpress.com

countryliving.com

sold on etsy

We're suckers for Pendleton....

atruegentlemen.blogspot.com